This is a blog about epilepsy. I have lived with seizures for 25 years now and I want to share my experiences to allow others with epilepsy a chance to compare their experiences to mine and to allow those without epilepsy to understand further the condition and how it effects one. I had the VNS device implanted 4 years ago and have posted on that extensively. Please feel free to comment and I will try to respond.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Yesterday I did some brain mapping at the Institute. It went well, but I was pretty tired by the end. Next week I have another appointment scheduled with Dr. Dean. Hopefullly she will write me back to work part time. I am getting a bit stir-crazy. :)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Scott had another intense gran-mal seizure this morning at approx. 12:45 am. Fortunately he did not fall out of bed or injure himself. This seizure lasted a bit longer than his usual tonic clonic seizures - it lasted a full 5 minutes. During the seizure, Scott let out an excruciating howl as if he were in intense pain. I swiped his VNS magnet several times both during and after the seizure. Nevertheless, Scott did stop breathing after taking several deep, jagged breaths. Swiping the magnet also did not seem to help with the recovery time as it was almost an hour before Scott could speak clearly or answer even the most simple questions. Scott has been resting peacefully since the seizure. I will have to wake him shortly to take his medications and eat breakfast. Please pray that Scott will have a peaceful, seizure-free day.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Nurse Cindy called from Dr. Dean's office a few minutes ago. She stated that Scott's Depakote level is currently 63.7. (You may recall that it needs to be between 80 and 100 to be completely effective.) Cindy also stated that they expect this level to continue to increase - especially since Scott's dosage was just increased (on 10/8/08) and that it takes 60 hours for it to increase in his system. We pray that as the level increases, Scott's seizures will subside.

I just heard back from Dr. Sollenberger's office. Scott's blood test showed that his thyroid levels are a little low so they are going to start him on medication today. Scott has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sollenberger in early December.

Scott had one simple partial seizure at approx. 11:30 this morning. He was sitting at the kitchen table eating a sandwich and drinking some juice. He is in bed and is resting now. I'll continue to keep you posted.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Scott had another gran-mal seizure at approx. 7:55 pm this evening. He was on the phone with his brother at the time. (Sorry Matt!) Just like the seizure from earlier today, this seizure did not last long - only two minutes - and it did not take Scott long to recover. Fortunately, I was able to swipe his VNS magnet so he never stopped breathing. Unfortunately, Scott hit his already sore and bruised elbow during the seizure.

Again, we're not sure what caused the seizure. (Scott ate dinner and took his medicine at 6:00 pm this evening. He also took a nap once we returned home from his doctor appointment this afternoon.)

Scott is in bed resting comfortably now. I pray that this is the last seizure he has to endure for a very long time.

Scott had another gran-mal seizure this morning at approx. 10:30. He was at his father's house at the time and was playing Civilization on his Nintendo DS. This seizure only lasted a minute or so and did not take Scott long to recover. (Thank goodness!)

I called Dr. Dean and scheduled an appointment to have Scott's blood levels checked this afternoon. I specifically want to see how much Depakote is in his system. (Dr. Dean had previously explained that you have to maintain a level of 80 - 100 for the drug to be compleetly effective.) Perhaps this will help to shed some light on this recent flurry of seizure activity.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Scott had a restful, seizure-free day today. He spoke with Dr. Dean this afternoon about his most recent seizure activity and inquired as to whether or not he should increase his Depakote Sprinkle dosage. Dr. Dean advised Scott that he should increase the medication to 375 mg twice a day. (He was taking 250 mg twice a day.) Hopefully this increase dosage is exactly what Scott needs to stay seizure-free for a very long time!

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Scott had another gran-mal, tonic clonic seizure this evening at 6:15 pm - just as I was serving dinner. He banged his neck, back and elbows pretty badly during the seizure. He also stopped breathing even though I swiped his VNS magnet twice. In fact, he turned blue and ended up flat on his back once he stopped seizing. As much as I tried, I could not get Scott turned onto his side to clear his airway. So I called his father who lives down the road and asked him to come and help me. (Thanks Bob!)

It took Scott a fairly long time to recover from this seizure. We're not sure if this lastest round of seizures is due from sleep deprivation (Scott was not able to take a nap until 4:00 pm this afternoon) or if he just needs a bit more Depakote Sprinkle to sustain him until he takes his next dose of medicine. (Both of the seizures Scott has had this week have occurred just before he ate and took his medication.)

Scott is going to stay home tomorrow, and perhaps the rest of this week, to get plenty of rest. He is also going to contact Dr. Dean to see if he should increase his intake of Depakote Sprinkle. I'll post again tomorrow to let everyone know what Dr. Dean says.

While in the hospital many of the tests taken showed that Scott's thyroid was overproductive. Once discharged from the hospital, Dr. Dean scheduled an appointment for Scott to meet with an endocrinologist to review these test results and to see what treatment, if any, is needed. Scott met with Dr. Sollenberger at The Salem Center this afternoon. Dr. Sollenberger told us that Scott's test results were up and down throughout both stays in the hospital. He further explained that he is not entirely sure if this is a result of the number of seizures Scott endured or if Scott truly has hyperthyroidism. But Dr. Sollenberger did point out that hyperthyroidism is not common in men and especially not in those whose family have no history of the disease. (As far as we know, no one in Scott's family has ever been disgnosed with hyperthyroidism.) Based on the previous test results, Dr. Sollenberger decided to order a blood test to get a current reading of Scott's triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) thyroid hormone levels. He stated that if he found an abnormality in these results then we would start Scott on medication. He also explained that this medication would not counteract with Scott's AEDs. We expect to hear the results from the blood test within the next day or two. I'll update everyone once we hear back from Dr. Sollenberger's office.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Scott has a gran-mal seizure this morning at approx. 8:30 - just as we were getting ready to leave for work. He had not yet taken his morning medication as we had planned to stop and grab a biscuit before heading in to the office. Not sure if that had anything to do with the cause of the seizure. (He usually takes his morning medication between 8:30 and 9:00.)

Thankfully Scott did not injure himself; however, he does have the usual aches and pains (i.e. headache, neck pain and body aches). He has rested for most of the day and is hoping to return to work tomorrow morning.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Scott spoke with Dr. Dean today about returning to work part-time. She has agreed that he could return for 4 hours a day and suggested that he start back tomorrow. Dr. Dean explained that she wanted to ensure that Scott had plenty of time to rest over the weekend - just in case he is really tired after working 4 hours tomorrow. She has also scheduled a follow-up visit with Scott for tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully he won't be too tired after work and the appointment!

Subscribe!

Followers

Got Epilepsy?

What is Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurring seizures, which are disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain. Seizure types range from a momentary disruption of senses to a loss of consciousness and violent movements that can last for minutes. There is no single cause for epilepsy; however epilepsy can sometimes be associated with an illness, head injury, or abnormal brain development. It is estimated that 1-2% of the population has epilepsy, and of those, approximately two-thirds respond well to medical treatment.